It’s no secret that it has been a difficult season for the GHS varsity boys’ basketball team, who have struggled through injuries and a challenging conference schedule, suffering several tough losses. But the battling Bulldogs have not given up, despite being eliminated from post-season contention, and continue to play with determination and zeal, to the credit of the coaching staff, senior leadership, and their drive to compete. Last week that never-say-die spirit paid off with a big upset.
After starting 5A West league play with a frustrating 0-9 record, the Bulldogs traveled to Harrison last Friday and upset the first-place Goblins on their home court, 62-59. Prior to that loss, Harrison was tied with Siloam Springs atop the conference standings. For Greenwood, the upset win came at the end of a week punctuated by a pair of devastating losses to Van Buren and Alma on back-to-back nights. Instead of finishing the week with a 1-2 record, the Bulldogs could easily have gone 3-0. Such has been the tale of their season.
Greenbrier Panthers
Following the icy road conditions and the postponement of the Alma game on January 24th, the Bulldogs’ seventh conference contest was at home against the Greenbrier Panthers on the 27th, marking the halfway point in the league schedule. Sadly, H. B. Stewart Arena didn’t have enough magic to keep the Bulldogs from falling to the Panthers, 51-43.
The game was close throughout the first half with the visitors leading 12-11 after one period and tied at 24-all at the half. But the Panthers began separating themselves in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 12-7 for a 36-31 advantage after 24 minutes. That trend continued in the final stanza with Greenbrier adding three points to its lead for the 51-43 victory.
Aiden Kennon had a strong game offensively, leading his GHS teammates with 19 points, the only Bulldog to reach double figures in scoring. L. J. Robins was next with nine points, followed by Josh Ligon with eight points and Dawson Holt with five points. The loss pushed Greenwood’s conference record to 0-7 and to the edge of elimination from post-season play.
Russellville Cyclones
The Bulldogs began their second turn through the league schedule at Russellville on February 3rd, having lost their first contest against the Cyclones by double figures. Unfortunately, the rematch didn’t turn out any better for the GHS boys, who lost game two, 61-42. Greenwood fell behind early, trailing 24-14 after one period, and 41-21 at the half. There was a highlight reel play, however, when Dawson Holt let fly a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer from about 70 feet away and found the bottom of the net at the end of the first quarter. It was a remarkable shot.
The Bulldogs then made a brief 7-0 scoring run to start the second half, cutting the Cyclones’ advantage to 41-28, but Russellville stemmed the rising GHS tide by outscoring Greenwood 10-5 the rest of the third quarter, maintaining a comfortable 51-33 advantage. They expanded that lead ever so slightly in the fourth quarter for the 61-42 victory.
Aiden Kennon scored 17 points to lead his GHS teammates offensively while pulling down 13 rebounds for an impressive double double. Dawson Holt added 11 points, three boards, four assists, and four steals for a solid all-around performance. L. J. Robins scored five points with two assists and two rebounds, while Peyton Presson added three points with six boards, two assists, and two blocked shots.
Van Buren Pointers
On February 7th the Bulldogs hosted the Pointers, who had beaten Greenwood soundly back on January 10th, 68-31. But the rematch was markedly different from their first meeting, although the ultimate outcome was still a GHS loss in the most heartbreaking fashion. Van Buren led 22-13 after one period and 41-26 at the half before the Bulldogs staged a stirring second half comeback.
A three-pointer by Greenwood’s Braden Bollman near the 3:00 mark of the third quarter pulled the Bulldogs to within eight points at 50-42 and a steal and layup by Josh Ligon cut the margin further to 50-44 by the end of the period. Ligon also made an impossible over-the-shoulder, blind, one-handed shot from halfcourt that found the net but couldn’t beat the buzzer and did not count.
When play resumed in the fourth quarter, Dawson Holt hit a three-pointer and Aiden Kennon buried a jumper for the Bulldogs, narrowing the Pointers’ lead to 52-49 with 6:30 remaining. Another bucket by Kennon made it 52-51 at the six-minute mark. Josh Ligon then made a great save near the sideline, getting the ball to Kennon for the go-ahead bucket, putting the Bulldogs on top, 53-52, with about 3:30 remaining to play.
Neither team scored again for almost three minutes until Van Buren retook the lead and Kennon put Greenwood back on top with a jumper, 55-54, with 22 seconds left to play. The Pointers then set up a final shot for the win, and Malachi Henry found an opening in the GHS defense, all alone in the corner for an open three, which he drained for the 57-55 victory.
The tough-luck Bulldogs were led in scoring by Aiden Kennon with 21 points. He added three rebounds. Dawson Holt had 11 points and six boards, while Josh Ligon scored six points with the same number of rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Braden Bollman also scored six points on a pair of three-pointers and L. J. Robins added five points while dishing out six assists and grabbing two rebounds. Brenden Chick scored two points with six rebounds and two steals.
Alma Airedales
Due to winter weather on consecutive weeks, the Alma game originally slated for January 24th had to be postponed twice to finally be played last Wednesday (Feb. 8th), the day after the last-second Van Buren loss. But the Bulldogs appeared to have put that loss behind them, leading Alma by eight points at the start of the fourth quarter. However, Greenwood only scored three points in the period while the Airedales netted the game’s last 16 points for the 54-43 come-from-behind win.
Dawson Holt hit the game’s opening basket, a three-pointer for the visitors. After an Alma field goal, L. J. Robins added another trey to spark a 13-0 GHS run and the Bulldogs led 22-9 after one period. Greenwood hit six three-pointers in the first half, four of them by Holt, but the Bulldogs cooled off in the second period, scoring only five points, though they still led at the half, 27-19.
The visitors increased their lead to double digits early in the third quarter before the Airedales rallied to trim their deficit to 36-30. Greenwood then scored four of the final six points of the period to lead 40-32 after 24 minutes. But the Airedales outscored the Bulldogs 22-3 over the last eight minutes, including 16 consecutive points while shutting out Greenwood.
Alma scored on nine of 12 possessions in the fourth quarter, hitting 7-of-12 shots from the floor with four offensive rebounds and just two turnovers. The Airedales’ final charge began with a three-pointer and a reverse layup to tie the game at 43-43 with 4:07 left. Alma then continued to build momentum and make shots, finishing the game with four made free throws in the final minute, winning by double digits, 54-43.
Dawson Holt led Greenwood with 19 points and three rebounds. Aiden Kennon had 11 points, four boards and two assists. L. J. Robins scored six points with three assists and two steals. Braden Bollman scored seven points with three rebounds and Brenden Chick grabbed nine boards and dished out a pair of assists.
Harrison Goblins
After two consecutive tough losses, many teams would have just laid down facing one of the league’s top two teams on the road at their place, but not these Bulldogs. Greenwood made the long trip to Harrison last Friday and pulled off an improbable upset victory for their first conference win of the season, 62-59.
Aiden Kennon scored the game’s first points on a layup and added a free throw for a 3-0 GHS lead and the Bulldogs still led at the end of the period, 13-10. A Braden Bollman three-pointer put the ‘Dogs up by double digits at the 2:25 mark of the second quarter, 27-17, forcing the Goblins to call a timeout. But the visitors still led 34-22 at the intermission.
However, Harrison methodically trimmed its deficit to 49-43 after three periods, and continued its comeback into the fourth quarter until the Greenwood lead was just one point, 60-59, with seven ticks remaining. But the Bulldogs had possession of the ball and the Goblins were forced to foul, putting L. J. Robins at the line. The junior guard calmly hit both charity shots, putting Greenwood up by three points, 62-59. Harrison then missed a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer.
The Bulldogs turned in one of their best all-around offensive performances of the season, with four players in double figures in scoring, led by Aiden Kennon’s 23 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, and one blocked shot. Braden Bollman also had a great game with 15 points, four boards, and two blocks. Dawson Holt and L. J. Robins both scored 10 points each. Holt added four assists and two steals while Robins had four assists, three steals, and two rebounds. Brenden Chick had just two points, but grabbed five rebounds and had four assists. Josh Ligon also added two points with seven boards and two assists.
According to GHS Head Coach Donnie Husband, it was the best overall performance by his team this season, providing a glimpse of what might have been. “We had four guys in double figures and Aiden [Kennon] was awesome. It was one of those nights when everybody played [well] and everybody contributed. It’s like we were capable of playing all [season], and for whatever reason it all fell into place [that] night. [This season] has been a rollercoaster,” said the coach.
Husband added, “You have to admire their character,” referring to his players. “It was frustrating because we saw what could be. But at the same time, you have to admire them because few teams could take the gut punches [of back-to-back tough losses to Van Buren and Alma] then go three hours on the road and beat one of the top teams in the conference. You have to be extremely proud of the kids that they were able to do that.”
Siloam Springs Panthers
This past Tuesday’s home rematch against first-place Siloam Springs was most unusual and wasn’t concluded until Wednesday evening when the Panthers returned to H. B. Stewart Arena after a power failure forced the suspension of the game the previous evening. The contest was stopped with 2:38 left in the third period with the visitors up, 34-29.
According to Greenwood school Superintendent John Ciesla, high winds were playing havoc with power lines in the area around the GHS campus, not only affecting the lighting in the arena, but also knocking out the scoreboard, the game clock, and shot clock. Unsure of when the problem could be fixed and the computerized equipment rebooted, the two schools agreed to suspend play and resume the following afternoon.
After Greenwood’s upset win over Harrison, the Siloam Springs’ boys found themselves all alone in first place in the 5A West, and they scored the first basket against the Bulldogs last Tuesday. Aiden Kennon tied the score moments later before the two squads traded 6-0 scoring runs. Trailing 8-2, Greenwood tied the score on a pair of three-pointers by Dawson Holt and L. J. Robins. But the visitors ended the first period with another 6-0 run to lead 17-10 after eight minutes.
Keeping with the trend, the Bulldogs hit two more treys for another scoring run to start the second quarter. Both three-pointers were made by Braden Bollman before Dawson Holt tied the score at 17-all with a free throw. The Bulldogs then took the lead, 21-19, on a pair of baskets by L. J. Robins, before the Panthers closed the half with a 5-0 run, taking a 24-21 lead into the locker room at the break.
The Panthers added to their lead early in the third quarter before the power went out, engulfing the entire arena in total darkness before emergency lights kicked on powered by a generator. School officials and coaches spent the next several minutes scrambling to fix the problem in cooperation with the power company, but eventually realized their efforts were in vain given the circumstances. It was then decided to resume the game the next day.
On Wednesday afternoon both teams returned to pick up the action with 2:38 left in the third quarter. Siloam Springs then added two points to its lead by the end of the period, 38-31. The Panthers moved ahead by double digits early in the fourth quarter, 41-31, before a three-pointer by Braden Bollman cut the GHS deficit to 43-36 at the 4:30 mark. Another late trey by L. J. Robins made it 45-39 with two minutes remaining, but that’s as close as Greenwood got to challenging the Panthers, who won the contest, 47-39.
Offensively, L. J. Robins led the Bulldogs in scoring with 12 points, followed by Braden Bollman with nine points, Dawson Holt with seven, Josh Ligon with five, and Aiden Kennon with four points. The GHS boys scored in double digits in each of the first three quarters, but failed to build on that momentum in the final stanza.
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Concerning the electrical outage, Coach Husband said he had never been a part of something like that in his career. “I called it the longest timeout I’ve ever had. Obviously I’ve been doing this (coaching) for a long time and I’ve never seen that happen. It was kind of a weird deal and a weird game.”
Despite winning only one conference game so far and being eliminated from playoff contention, the Bulldogs have had a big impact on the league race, knocking off Harrison, giving the Panthers a one game lead. “Yeah, we did,” said Coach Husband when asked about it. “And we had a chance to have an impact last night and today [against Siloam Springs], but didn’t take advantage of that chance. It would have been nice, but you have to give [the Panthers] credit for the way they came in and played today.”
The Bulldogs will close out their season with three games remaining against Mountain Home, Alma, and Greenbrier. Their last and only remaining home game will be next Tuesday against Alma, also senior night for the Bulldogs. The GHS boys have not won a game on their home floor this season and would like to close strong with winnable games against the Bombers, Airedales, and Panthers. They travel to Mountain Home this coming Friday.
Finally, the GHS coach referred to his seniors and the need to finish the schedule on a positive note, including possible wins on the road and defending their home court for the last time. “There’s still a lot for me to coach for and for them to play for,” said Husband. “We’ve done things right the entire [season] and I think we’ll continue to do so.”